-
Why Doesn’t Obama Ban Iranian Press TV? by Kenneth R. Timmerman
The Case of CH2M HILL: $2 Billion in Crony Stimulation by Rusty Weiss
The Truth about George Soros by AIM Staff
Lifting the Veil on WikiLeaks by AIM Staff
The Truth about Al-Jazeera English by Cliff Kincaid
Reaganomics and Obamanomics in the Media and in Reality by Malcolm A. Kline, Don Irvine and Spencer Irvine
How State Budget Battles Could Mean More Criminals Back on the Streets by Michael Tremoglie
Radical Muslims, Environmentalists and the Green Jihad by Mark Musser
Russian-Backed Propaganda Networks Claim Obama is a CIA Agent by Cliff Kincaid
Media Conceal True Nature of Flash Mob Racial Violence by John T. Bennett
NBC’s Mitchell Should Resign Over Telling Gaddafi’s Lies (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by Cliff Kincaid
CASA de Maryland: The Illegals’ ACORN by James Simpson
Special Report
The Newswire
Take AIM Podcast
The Daily Caller highlights some of the better moments (from a conservative viewpoint) of the now defunct list serve Journolist.
From the Daily Caller
The Daily Caller has highlighted some of Journolist’s worst moments — such as when liberal members of the media plotted to kill important stories about the presidential campaign.
But the 400-member listserv, like any community, was a complex arrangement comprised of many individual voices.
While some urged members to level indiscriminate charges of racism, other postings reflected admirable integrity or civility. Here are some examples:
Journolist hero: Dan Froomkin, Huffington Post
During the health-care debate, the Huffington Post ran a hard-hitting story about a deal struck between the pharmaceutical industry and the White House. The piece by Ryan Grim was later largely vindicated when Sen. Max Baucus, Montana Democrat, revealed legislative language that included almost all the industry giveaways of the backroom deal as reported by Grim.
When Grim and the Huffington Post first published the story, it was a matter of debate on Journolist. Although the discussion centered on rules of journalism regarding proper sourcing, there were suggestions that the Huffington Post might have been more careful because the story hurt Obama and the push for health-care reform.
Froomkin, who edited the story, stepped in to defend Grim.
“I’m awfully sorry this makes Obama look bad. Not my problem,” said Froomkin. Not my problem!
Journolist hero: James Surowiecki, the New Yorker
When Nidal Hasan murdered 13 people at Ft. Hood, Texas, shouting “Allahu Akbar!” before opening fire, members of Journolist debated whether the media should report on Hasan’s apparent ties to Islamic extremism.
Luke Mitchell, then of Harper’s magazine, said doing so “points the way to things that are actually alarmingly dangerous, such as the idea that there is a large conspiracy of Islamists at work in the United States, that we need to ‘do something’ about this conspiracy.”
Surowiecki replied to Mitchell and others that the truth was worth pursuing.
“I find it bizarre that anyone would argue that an accurate description of what happened is somehow pointless,” Surowiecki said. “That is, that it’s not useful to offer up an accurate picture of Hasan’s actions because nothing obvious follows from it. We want, as much as possible, to have a clear picture of what’s actually going on in the world. Describing Hasan as a violent Islamist terrorist is much closer to the truth than describing him as a disturbed individual.”
Journolist hero: Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Although he now denies that lots of informal — and some formal — coordination took place on Journolist, to his credit listserv founder Ezra Klein was a force for moderation. He stopped others from organizing a weekly message, stopped people from organizing open letters on Journolist (after they did so on one occasion), wouldn’t let those currently working in the government on the list, and seemed more reasonable than many in his remarks.
Journolist hero: Jeffrey Toobin, the New Yorker, CNN
Toobin is, as everyone knows, a liberal. But unlike many of the members of Journolist, he displayed a commendably open mind and a sense of civility.
For instance, when Sarah Spitz, a producer for NPR affiliate KCRW, fantasized aloud about watching Rush Limbaugh’s “eyes bug out” if he had a heart attack in front of her (Spitz apologized following TheDC’s reporting on the incident), Toobin defended Limbaugh.
“Rush cannot be replaced. What people miss about Rush is that he is just astonishingly good as a broadcaster. He is compelling, funny, entertaining. I haven’t heard Thompson often, but he’s probably pretty lame. Ingraham is ok. I never listen to Hannity on the radio. But Rush is the man,” he said.
On another occasion, Toobin warned against likening Tea Partiers to Nazis: “For what it’s worth, I think it’s better to stay away from any use of the Nazis in discussions of contemporary politics. I know you weren’t saying conservatives-are-Nazis, but people just shut down when they hear that analogy drawn.”
There were other examples, and Toobin came across as one of the least caustic members of the list.
Honorable mention: Michael Tomasky, the Guardian
While Tomasky did play a role in some important instances of list coordination, at other times he showed a keen awareness of his role as an independent journalist. Further, he displayed an ability to empathize with those with whom he disagrees, an admirable quality.
When MoveOn.org infamously called General David Petraeus a traitor with its “General Betray Us?” advertisement, many members of Journolist were livid with MoveOn. In their view, the ad was a public relations disaster for their side.
As then-Mother Jones (and now-Politico) reporter Laura Rozen put it, quoting a friend, the ad “‘accomplishes nothing: it preaches to the converted, persuades no one, and only serves to piss off the other side and make all Dems look bad.”
“Enough aiding and abetting the enemy! as Cheney says,” she added.
Tomasky remarked that calling Petraeus a traitor was wrong in itself.
“Also: A conservative would have a field day with this thread noting that no one has yet plainly called the ad objectionable on the merits, or on moral grounds,” he said.
In another instance, he noted that while the editor of a liberal magazine he would correct interns, “and not always politely” when they referred to Democrats as “we.” Tomasky explained in an interview that journalists, even opinion journalists, “need to retain enough independence to criticize when criticism is called for.”
Another time, Tomasky recalled when a New York Times reporter he felt had been unfair to Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election said in a public speech she found Gore “annoying,” which Tomasky found inappropriate.
New York Times reporter “Kit Seelye actually said, at an event, in front of 70 or so people, many of them media insiders etc., words to the effect that she found Gore deeply annoying. I wish to God I’d written it down, because lacking the exact words I can’t ever write about this, but I just couldn’t believe that she would say this. I don’t know if Al (Franken) would remember but he and I looked at each other like, did she just admit in public (at the Shorenstein Center no less!) that her coverage, in the world’s most important newspaper, was driven by (or at the very least inseperable from) her personal annoyance with the candidate? And with a smirk on her face to boot,” Tomasky said.
Share This
About the author
Don Irvine is Chairman of Accuracy in Media. He is active on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow him @donirvine to read his latest thoughts.
3 Comments for Journolistic Heroes?
Thank you for posting this story. Citizen journalists around the world are watching this scandal and wondering what is happening to the so-called professionals.
Posted by: Hogorina at November 25, 2009 04:47 PM
In journalistic trends the word God, which one?, is proclaimed on both sides of the fence, this throws up a red flag. Inserted below are ongoing dialogues on two sides of the world. Strange as to how people somehow drag out thier exclusive man-made god(?), in attempting to give clearer vision, on some assertion to be made. Political whoredom has its own ( god, and generally a schizophrenic one at that ). But, there has been a specific ( god ) from ancient times. This specific being is of an earthly spirit bases its home-made perception, that a One World government under a single ruler ship, of aggregated finance would serve mankind better. The first attempt at this was to transform Russia into a Communist order in 1917. Now, do not be deceived, the ultimate was the final rise of BOLSHEVISM. This system is up and running–it has an iron grip on the United States Republic. If this globalists devised incorporated organized criminality is not put down, then our state will become a nation of slaves, under collective industrial serfdom. The professions will become merely tools in a state of political FASCISM. This is a war—-towards ARMAGEDDEN! It would be wise to choose a CREATOR that has a body, parts and passion. In the film, ” The Hunch Back of Notre Dame “, Torqumoto {?} failed to call on a man-made god, instead he wished that he had been made of stone. The fore runner of BOLSHEVISM is incipient SOCIALSIM, that has taken place in our country.
Jill,
Here is food for thought. Most well established churches do receive a freebie ), from the IRS via tax relief. Indeed, the government determines to what extent pastors, etc; will commit, in order to keep cash on hand, banking.
Obviously, tax monies paid into IRS are raided by anyone who ressurects a god from amidst many,
totem too… These gods should be sorted out and
given identification on W2 forms.This is honesty.
Actually, everyone is taxed to a hound’s tooth.
Millions of hard working citizens are bled. Why are their tax monies looted for any church, if these people pay no homage to established kingdoms? Isnt’this a legalized combination of church and state. Only the ignorant and super ignorant would view this in any other manner.
Searching for thousands of years asserts that
any and all established systems in worshiping have dominated and
allied the various dominating ruling classes, as some god or gods are well heeled by the state. Incidentally, Socratese was slain because he too,like hogorina, questions tax monies used to fatten clergymen of questionable principles.
Socrates was a genuine democrat, far from a pseudo republican in his day. Yet, he questioned
the state’s method in allying with strange totem
pole upstarts, from raiding the state’s treasury, many do this in America, because citizens have been, and are deprived and looted of their wealth.
The Constution clearly implies church and state
separation. Why are tax payers forced to pay homage to any religion that they collectively abhor. Dr. Jill, please do not give me the bum’s rush on this one!
INTOLERANCE.
God has always been intolerant towards pseudo-
religious philosophies, based upon man’s self-opinionated needs. Most people do not explain
as to what deity being referred to in the singular.
In most cases to believe is only allying with Satan and his gang; for even the devils believe. fear and tremble! From Gautama through Protestantism, one major religious empire thrown together with fear. Pull the money rug from be-
neath and all crumble, into the ancient man-made
temples of lust and gain.
Naturally, the temple was destroyed in
70 AD. Apparently, Something had gone wrong. God said that his personal temple would be destroyed and resurrected in 3 days. Ignorant and super ignorant collectively, had been clinging to
spiritual stagnation after returning from Babylon.
America has become a modern day Babylonia. Most
likely God is rejecting America,as in the past, for his nation,and children, are now whoring after strange gods.
In the final days ( 100-170 ) that total
collapse of God’s church, which began at Antioch,
lost all contact with his people; God with drew his divine messages through prophets and Apostles.
To even imply that God has no body, parts or passion, in implying that intolerance is
not love, is to subtly spread open rebellion,
rebellion against anyone searching for truth.
The glory of God is intelligence. God actually hates ignorance! One cannot be schooled
while under the influence of spiritual pablum in the hands of hundreds of gods now flooding America. Look how Israel is treated today.
The God of Israel is now at the mercies of pseudo oriental
religious functionaries. Israel tries to practice
tolerance, while intolerance is preached from every house top.
Let me add: God is intolerant of every
device of pseudo religious whoredom and its political power that feeds from the national
treasury, Thank God for being intolerant.
PLEASED SCHROLL DOWARD—more!
Posted by: Hogorina at November 25, 2009 04:47 PM
Jill,
Here is food for thought. Most well established churches do receive a,( freebie ), from the IRS via tax relief. Indeed, the government determines to what extent pastors, etc; will commit, in order to keep cash on hand,( banking.
Jill,
Here is food for thought. Most well established churches do receive a,( freebie ), from the IRS via tax relief. Indeed, the government determines to what extent pastors, etc; will commit, in order to keep cash on hand,( banking.
Obviously, tax monies paid into IRS are raided by anyone who ressurects a god from amidst many,
totem too.. These gods should be sorted out and
given identification on W2 forms.This is honesty. Actually, everyone is taxed to a hound’s tooth.
Millions of hard working citizens are bled. Why are their tax monies looted for any church; if these people pay no homage to established kingdoms? Isnt’this a legalized combination of church and state. Only the ignorant and super ignorant would view this in any other manner.
Searching for thousands of years asserts that
any and all established systems in worshiping
allied the various dominating ruling classes, as some god or gods are well heeled by the state. Incidentally, Socratese was slain because he too,like hogorina, questions tax monies used to fatten clergymen of questionable principles.
Socrates was a genuine democrat, far from a pseudo republican in his day. Yet, he questioned
the state’s method in allying with strange totem
pole upstarts from raiding the state’s treasury, many do in America, because citizens were deprived,looted,of their wealth.
The Constution clearly implies church and state
separation. Why are tax payers forced to pay homage to any religion that they collectively abhor. Dr. Jill, please do not give me the bum’s rush on this one!
PLEASE SCHROLL DOWNWARD
07 January,2009, 02:38
I have never trusted US, EU, or China and I never will.
I am so thankful to my god writing on the night of Christmas (orthodox Christmas) that there is so many good people like Yahshuah, Johnny, anonymous, Richard, Joseph (and many more)
STILL exist, because living in USA for 15 years I had stopped believing that there is any good people are left in US. I hope we will see PEACE on earth under Eastern Rule (India-Russia) because all this year under WESTERN RULE, the planet earth has not seen any peace. PROUDER to marry RUSSIAN.
New York Times reporter “Kit Seelye actually said, at an event, in front of 70 or so people, many of them media insiders etc., words to the effect that she found Gore deeply annoying. I wish to God I’d written it down, because lacking the exact words I can’t ever write about this, but I just couldn’t believe that she would say this.
Hogorina
If they dissagreed why didn’t they just exclude themselves from the list and expose it???